Birmingham hotels see increase in Florida evacuees

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Millions are evacuating Florida to get out of the path of Hurricane Milton, and some have come as far as central Alabama to find shelter.

Some evacuees have said they couldn’t find anywhere to stay south of Birmingham. Some tried to find lodging in Atlanta but were unable to. Those who made it to Birmingham are glad to be safe but are still worried about what waits for them back home.

Pamela Detrick drove 13 hours with her dogs. Her home is just miles outside Tampa Bay in the direct path of Hurricane Milton.

“I had to leave. My anxiety and my dogs, I couldn’t handle it. I’m a widow,” said Detrick.

She says she tried to pack only the essentials. Travelling alone, she couldn’t bring a lot with her.

“Documents, my passport, I am a nurse practitioner, so I got my license, and my certificates, and that’s it,” added Detrick.

Hotels in Birmingham say they have not been overwhelmed by hurricane evacuees. Further south, the strain can be felt more.

“We tried booking our way back and there is nothing open,” said a couple travelling from Florida.

The manager of the Hilton Garden Inn says that many of the evacuees don’t know how long they will be in town for.

“They are renting our spaces on a day-by-day basis, so a lot of them anticipate hopefully returning very soon and some of them are saying, ‘I can’t go back right now. I just need a break to just get my thoughts together and kind of wrap my mind around what it is I need to do and then try to go back,’” said Tracy Furr.

Hotel managers told CBS 42 they expect to see more evacuees, and they will have room for them as long as they need to stay.

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